Electrical connection for terminating aluminum foil

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR PROVIDED BY A PAIR COEXTENSIVE PLATES HAVING OPPOSED APERTURES THEREIN AND LANCES ON THE PLATES PROJECTING TOWARD THE APERTURES, SO THAT WHEN THE PLATES ARE PRESSED TOGETHER BY OPPOSING ANVILS SOME OF THE LANCES PASS THROUGH THE SHEET AND OPPOSING APERTURES TO BE COMPRESSED BY AN ANVIL WHILE OTHER LANCES BECOME EMBEDDED THEREIN.

Aug; 28, 1973 E. A. WEIMER, JR Re. 27,743

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION FOR TERMINATING ALUMINUM FOIL Original Filed April22, 1964 INVIZNIOR. EDGAR HRTHuQ \JEmE J12.

United States Patent Oflice Re. 27,743 Reissued Aug. 28, 1973 27,743ELECTRICAL CONNECTION FOR TERMINATING ALUMINUM FOIL Edgar Arthur Weimer,Jr., Harrisburg, Pa., assignor to AMP Domestic Inc.

Original No. 3,247,316, dated Apr. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 361,853, Apr. 22,1964, which is a continuation-in-part of abandoned application 857,158,Dec. 3, 1959, and application Ser. No. 141,166, Sept. 27, 1961, nowPatent No. 3,138,658. Application for reissue Nov. 28, 1969, Ser. No.876,185, which is a continuation of abandoned applications Ser. No.646,741, Apr. 27, 1967, and Ser. No. 726,621, Apr. 29, 1968 Int. Cl.H01r 5 /00 U.S. Cl. 174-94 R 6 Claims Matter enclosed in heavy bracketsappears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissuespecification; matter printed in italcs indicates the additions made byreissue.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved electrical connector provided bya pair coextensive plates having opposed apertures therein and ldnces onthe plates projecting toward the apertures, so that when the plates arepressed together by opposing anvils some of the Iances pass through thesheet and apposing apertures to be compressed by an anvil while otherlances become embedded therein.

This application for reissue of U.S. Patent No. 3,247,- 316 is acontinuation of application Serial No. 646,741 filed April 27, 1967, nowabandoned, and of application Serial No. 726,621, filed April 29, 1968,now abandoned.

This application constitutes a continuation-in-part of my previousapplications, Serial No. 857,158, filed December 3, 1959, now abandoned,and Serial No. 141,- 166, filed September 27, 1961, now Patent No.3,138,658.

The extensive use of conductive foil or very thin sheet metal members(e.g., aluminum) as an electrical conductor for electronic and miniaturecomponents is complicated by the fact that it is difficult to join thefoil to other electrical conductors. Because of the fragile nature ofthe foil, securing the foil to a wire or component tends to either tearthe foil or to make an imperfect connection. It is an object of thisinvention to provide an electrical connector capable of being secured toconductive foil, or the like, which provides an electrical connection iseasily applied and has high tensile strength and excellent properties orelectrical conductivity.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an electricalconnecting device adapted to be secured to aluminum foil by wrapping itaround the foil and pressing it into the foil.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an electricalconnecting device adapted to be secured to aluminum foil by Wrapping orfolding it over the foil and clamping it thereto so that tangs on onearea of the device pierce the foil.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a terminatingmeans for sheet metal or metal foil, such as, for example, copper,aluminum, alloys thereof, or the like, which comprises a terminal havingon one side lance means having a plurality of points and on the otherside in opposition to the lance means, a one-point tab or lance member.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of theinvention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodi ment is notintended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given forpurposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art mayfully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the mannerof applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in variousforms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 12 showing theconnector applied to a sheet of metal; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 14-14 ofFIGURE 2.

Turning now to FIGURES 1-3, there is shown an embodiment of the presentinvention. In this embodiment, connector 400 comprises two opposed legsor plates 401 and 402 connected together at one end. Each leg includesrows of perforations 403. Every other perforation in each row has aplurality of sharp lances or tanks 404 formed therearound which aresubstantially of V-shaped configuration and extend outwardly from theleg in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of theperforation. Eacli of the remaining perforations in each row has asingle sharp lance or tang 405 of similar configuration as those oflances 404 extending outwardly from the leg in a direction substantiallyparallel to the axis of the perforation.

As can be discerned from FIGURE 1, the lances on one leg extend towardthe lances on the other leg and the perforations containing lances 404-are oppositely disposed with respect to the perforations containinglances 405. While it is desirable that the apertures in each leg beoppositely disposed, in some cases they will be slightly out ofalignment; but, upon application to a conductive member, they will comeinto alignment. When forming lances 405, it is desirable, whereapplicable, that they be diagonal with respect to the opposingperforations containing lances 404. While only two rows of lancedperforations have been shown in each leg of the connector, it is obviousthat one or more rows may be provided in each leg, a single perforationof either kind in one leg may be diametrically disposed with respect tothe other kind of perforation in the other leg, or the perforations ineach leg may be staggered with respect to each other so long as theperforations containing lances 404 in one leg are opposite the otherperforations containing lances 405 in the other leg. Other arrangementscan obviously be visualized; however, description thereof would besuperfluous.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2, one end of legs 401 and 402 are connectedtogether while the other ends are free. A ferrule member 406 extendsoutwardly from the connected ends and is afiixed to the wire section ofan electrical conductor means 407 as, for example, by crimping, welding,soldering, etc. Of course, an electrical conductor means may be securedto the connector 3 in the manner shown in FIGURES 8 or 9 in theaforementioned patent or in any other suitable manner. Additionally,connector 400 may take the forms illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4, 8 and 9 inthe aforementioned patent.

The connector may be made from any desirable material, such as, copper,brass, steel, bronze, etc., and the type of metal or alloy thereof willdepend primarily on its use and the purposes of conductivity. Platingthe connector may also be desirable. This embodiment may be affixed to aconductive member 408 which not only may be metallic foil but also sheetmetal up to any workable thickness, and the size and hardness of theconnector will be proportional to that of the material to which it is tobe attached. It should be pointed out that the foil or sheet metal maybe coated with insulatmg material which need not be removed upon theconnector being applied to the conductive member. This is also true withrespect to the other embodiments.

In assembly, conductive member 408 is placed between legs 401 and 402,pressure is applied to the outer surface of each leg as, for example, bymeans of opposing anvils, whereupon the perforations containing lances404 provide a punch relief area so that opposing lances 405 easily punchthrough the conductive member. Upon the legs being pressed into tightengagement with the conductive member, lances 405 engage one of theanvils and become flattened in rivet-like manner, while lances 404pierce, scrape and become embedded into or impaled upon the conductivemember because the inner surface of the leg adjacent lances 405 acts asan anvil to cause these lances to bend back toward their respective leg.FIGURE 3 illustrates the foregoing which shows the disposition of lances404 and 405 and thereby provides a riveted and, therefore, interlockedconnection or termination.

With respect to the embodiment of FIGURES 1-3, the aggregate number oflances provides a strong connection between the connector and conductivemember. During the terminating process, the lances pierce and scrapeoxides from the area of engagement with the conductive member (andinsulation coating if such is thereon) to result in an excellentmechanical and electrical connection.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art andvarious apparently different modifications and embodiments may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forthin the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by wayof illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended tobe defined in the following claims when viewed in their properperspective against the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connection comprising leg members having opposedsurfaces, each leg member having at least one aperture, the apertures ineach leg being in opposition, each aperture having lance means thereatand extending toward each other, said leg members being pressed intoengagement with a sheet of conductive material with the lance means ofone aperture piercing said sheet and extending through the otheraperture, the lance means of the other aperture scraping and piercingthe sheet and being bent back toward the respective leg member thereofupon engagement with the inner surface of the opposing leg member, theend of the lance means extending through the other aperture beingblunted to rivet the leg members in mechanical and electrical engagementwith said sheet of conductive material.

2. An electrical connection between a connector and a sheet ofconductive means comprising leg means having opposing surfaces, each ofsaid surfaces having a plurality of apertures, the apertures in onesurface being disposed substantially opposite to the apertures in theother surface, lance means located adjacent each aperture and extendingtoward each other, said leg means being pressed into engagement withsaid sheet of conductive means with some of the lance means of each ofsaid leg means piercing said sheet of conductive means and extendingthrough the apertures in opposition there to while the lance means ofthese opposition apertures scrape mid pierce the sheet of conductivemeans and are bent back toward the respective leg means thereof uponengagement with the inner surface of the opposing leg means, the ends ofthe lance means extending through the opposition apertures being bluntedto rivet the leg means in mechanical and electrical engagement with saidsheet of conductive means.

3. As an article of manufacture, an electrical connector for makingelectrical connection with a sheet of conductive means comprising a pairof plate means secured to a common base and each provided with at leastone aperture, the aperture in one plate means being oppositely disposedwith respect to the aperture in the other plate means, lance meansprojecting from each plate means toward [each] the other plate means,said lance means being disposed adjacent the periphery of each of theapertures, said lance means of one plate means being only one lance [asingle lance means] and being adapted to penetrate said sheet ofconductive means, extend through the opposing aperture and be blunted torivet said plate means together while the lance means of the other platemeans include a plurality of [lance means] lances which are adapted tobe bent away from the aperture thereof to grasp the sheet of conductivemeans in electrically conductive relationship between the plate means.

4. As an article of manufacture, an electrical connector for makingelectrical connection with a sheet of conductive means comprising a pairof plate means secured t a common base and each provided with aplurality of apertures, the apertures in one plate means beingoppositely disposed with respect to the apertures in the other platemeans, lance means projecting from each plate means toward [each] theother plate means, said lance means being disposed adjacent theperiphery of each of said apertures, some of the lance means on theplate means being a single lance [means] and being adapted to penetratesaid sheet of conductive means, extend through the opposing aperturesand be blunted to rivet said plate means together while the othercomplementary [lance means] lances include a plurality of lance meanswhich are adapted to be bent away from the apertures thereof to graspsaid sheet of conductive means in electrically conductive relationshipbetween the opposing plate means.

5. An electrical connector according to claim 3 wherein said [singlelance means] one lance is diagonally disposed with respect to theopposing aperture having a substantially rectangular configuration.

6. An electrical connection comprising leg members having opposedsurfaces, each leg member having apertures, the apertures in each legmember being in opposition, each aperture having lance means adjacentsaid aperture and said lance means on one leg member extending towardcorresponding lance means on said other leg member, said leg membersbeing pressed into engagement with a sheet of conductive material withthe lance means at the apertures f one leg member piercing said sheetand extending through respective apertures of the other leg member andbent inwardly, the lance means at the apertures of the other leg memberpiercing the sheer and bent inwardly toward the one leg member duringthe pressing of the leg members together, the inwardly bent lance meansthereby riveting the leg members in mechanical and electrical engagementwith said sheet of conductive material.

References Cited The following references, cited by the Examiner, are ofrecord in the patented file of this patent or the original patent.

(Other references on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGNPATENTS Jugle 174-84 578,487 7/1946 Great Britain.

X -735 x BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Pnmary Examiner Kurland et a1 174-52 X 5Grafi et a1. 174-87 CL weimer 174.94 29- 628; 174-84 R; 339-95 R, 276 T

